Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of information display. Specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to a method for providing an on-site replay at a sporting event by localized display of information.
Modern sporting events typically take place before sizable audiences who view the event live at various venues. Such sporting events are sometimes televised, either live or pre-recorded, to a remote viewing audience as well. Television provides great benefits to its sporting audience by allowing the sharing of replays, expert information, and statistical resources with the television audience. As an example, replays are televised, sometimes at speeds slow relative to the original action, and accompanied by expert commentary.
Television commentators with statistical and other information resources at their disposal sometimes use xe2x80x9clight pensxe2x80x9d and other devices to mark play and action diagrams xe2x80x9con-screenxe2x80x9d provide television viewers with valuable play-by-play and stop action analyses. Statistical information can be displayed on-screen with the televised images. Thus, television sporting audiences enjoy significant enhancement of the sporting event itself. To some degree owed to this enhancement, a television sporting audience conventionally enjoys some advantages over a live sporting audience.
Some statistical information is displayed to live sporting audiences on conventional score boards. Also, attempts have been made to accord live sporting audiences with some of the other advantages enjoyed by television audiences. Conventionally, large screen television screens are provided at some sporting venues to allow live sporting audiences to view action replays and other television-like displays. Further, television affects the conduct of some sporting events. For example, video replays are often cast before officials who review the replay, sometimes in slow motion and/or from varying angles and other views. They render decisions based on these replays, which affect the conduct of play. Such conventional attempts to enhancing a live sporting event may not be adequate.
Conventional approaches to adding television-like enhancement to live sporting events may lack adequacy because what is portrayed on the large screen televisions for observation by the live audience is often on much the same level as that telecast to a television audience. For example, the display of replays to the live audience may be substantially similar to the replay telecast to the television audience. Live observers see what television viewers see, and in that sense, the live audience might as well be watching the replay on television elsewhere. Thus, there is little advantage added to attending the sporting event live by the conventional replay display there.
Conventional approaches to adding television-like enhancement to live sporting events may also lack adequacy because what is portrayed on the large screen televisions for observation by the live audience may be displayed with a viewing resolution that is somewhat inferior to the quality they could obtain by watching television elsewhere. This inferior resolution can arise because the large screens used to display television images to a large live audience at some sporting venues are often mounted much further from the viewers, and in varying and perhaps sub-optimal lighting than televisions screens used by many television sporting audiences, which may tend to be smaller and more intimate.
Conventional approaches to adding television-like enhancement to live sporting events may also lack adequacy because what is portrayed on the large screen televisions for observation by the live audience may lack context for larger portions of the live audience. For example, a replay displayed to a live audience may show the action from a different angle and/or distance to most of the live audience than that from which they are viewing the live action. This can cause some live audience members to have to exert concentration to place the replay or other display in the context of the live action they are otherwise watching. This can confuse some live audience members, and can possibly detract from their live sporting event experience.
Similarly, conventional approaches to adding television-like enhancement to live sporting events may also lack adequacy because what is portrayed on the large screen televisions for observation by the live audience can in some situations distract some of the live audience members. Some live audience members can be distracted because their attention is diverted from the area action, such as the rink, field, court, course, or the like. The attention of some live audience members can be diverted because of their efforts to concentrate on the video displays. This can cause some of the distracted audience members to miss on-going or developing action, interesting activity between actions such as formation developments, line-up or equipment changes, official, coach, and/or player conferences, and the like. This can also confuse some live audience members, and can also possibly detract from their live sporting event experience.
The conventional approaches to enhancing live sporting events by television are limited in their applicability to officials. Athletes themselves receive benefit, if at all, only indirectly. Conventional video replays may be used in some instances by officials, but players must wait for these officials to render decisions accordingly for television to have any affect on the conduct of their play.
Some of the potential inadequacies of conventional approaches to adding television-like enhancement to live sporting events can compound each other this can be somewhat problematic because it may tend to exacerbate the confusion and distraction. This can possibly further detract from the experience sought by those opting to attend a live sporting event. This may discourage live event attendance and/or be perceived as wasteful and expensive by those opting to attend a live sporting event, as well as promoters of such events.
A method for enhancing a sporting event by localized display of information is disclosed. In one embodiment, information is collected and correlated with an associated spatial location. A portion of that information is selected based on its relevance. The portion of information selected is displayed at that spatial location.